Napa County

“I firmly believe, from what I have seen, that this is the chosen spot of all this earth as far as nature is concerned.” ― Luther Burbank

So said America’s preeminent horticulturist of Sonoma County. It has been a tough day in the chosen spot. Much has burned and much continues to burn. The sudden flames battled through the hills and then spilled out into the Santa Rosa Plain, leaving destruction and tears in its wake. My parents house, the house I grew up in, is ashes. Thankfully my parents are quite well and are in good spirits. I honestly think I am taking it harder than they are, though they no doubt are still in shock to some degree. I certainly am.

The neighborhood I grew up in. My house is just out of frame, across the street from the lot with the red arrow. (Image source unknown)

Sonoma and Napa Counties are my hometown. I love them. I have invested deeply in them over the course of my life. I have hiked them, written about them and been created and shaped by them. They have invested deeply in me. Yet now they hurt and I, and so many others, are hurting too. It has been a rough year for fires.

By the end of the day, I had had enough fire, so I decided to go observe some fire of another kind. Watching the interesting, wispy clouds all day while I paced on the phone, I had already decided to go an imbibe some of Mount Shasta’s beauty at sunset. I was rewarded with beautiful and rather unusual spectacle. As the sun was dropping below the horizon, the mountain – and nothing else – lit up. Gradually, as the light on Mount Shasta faded, the clouds glowed until the sky was aflame. The right kind of flame. Even in the midst of the hurt, it is comforting to know that there is beauty in the world. That it was made and declared good. The hurts will heal. It was a hard day, but ended well. Tomorrow, we can start to pick up the pieces.

I am excited to announce that my latest book, Hiking Northern California, is officially released today! The book contains 80 of the best hikes throughout Northern California. It is a showcase for the magnificent natural beauty of this part of America and highlights just how diverse the northern part of the Golden State is! I am truly humbled to have been able to write about such an incredible place.

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Tackling such an immense area, so loaded with exceptional hikes and natural wonders was challenging. How do I narrow down an area so densely packed with excellent trails into only 80 hikes? One significant step in this process was to break down the state into 9 regions. Each area has its own distinct character and exciting trails to be explored. I tried to have somewhere around 10 trails per area, give or take a few, so that there was equal representation of each region. I did include the Sacramento Valley as one of the nine sections but only included two trails there, which allowed me to pad some of the other sections. The Sierra Nevada, California’s quintessential mountains range is so vast that I could not leave it as a single region. Instead, it was broken up into four areas. These divisions were based on geology, use and routes of access. By dividing Northern California in this way, it allowed me to distribute the trails fairly evenly around the state. Though there were many trails in each section I was forced to leave out, I think each region is given a chance to shine brightly.

One great feature of the new editions being produced by Falcon Guides is the maps. In early editions by the publisher, maps were black and white and only gave the vaguest sense of how the trail related to the land. When I began writing for them nearly 4 years ago, the maps had improved significantly. They were multi-colored and based on USGS topo maps. Unfortunately, they lacked topolines. Many natural features were still present so orienting the maps was less difficult but still not ideal. Now, with Hiking Northern California, the maps have evolved into their best possible form by utilizing the topo maps and overlaying the other date typically present on Falcon Guide maps. The final result is both beautiful and especially useful.

Speaking frankly, this is a grand book. At 438 pages, it is much larger than my previous two books. Visually, it is a stunning volume, loaded with nearly 300 color images. More than half the trails have three images per hike. Some even have four images. Coupled with the excellent maps, the book just looks awesome. Though it is loaded with excellent beta, I honestly think it works equally well as a coffee table book. You can set it out and let folks sift through it, seeing the best of Northern California. This is true whether you want to show off the Golden State or dream of getting out here. Indeed, I tried to write it in such a way as it will have lots of accurate beta for hikers, but also in a way where readers can experience and enjoy Northern California vicariously through word and image. Hopefully I was successful.

I am very, very proud of this book. It is gorgeous, but more than that, I was able to write about some of the most beautiful places in the world. It is an honor to be able to publish thoughts about places like Big Sur, Lassen, Lake Tahoe, Yosemite and beyond. Wherever you are in Northern California, there are going to be nearby trails in the book that will be absolutely amazing and exciting journeys through this wonderful land. It is my sincere hope that this book will contribute to many people building lifetime memories while exploring the wild, beauty of the land of Northern California.

Copies can be purchased here. I will also have a few copies available. If anyone is passing through Mount Shasta and wants a signed copy, let me know ahead of time and I can arrange delivery. Thanks for supporting this site and purchasing a copy. You will enjoy it!

My second hiking guide, “Hiking California’s Wine Country” is officially released today! This project took a great deal of effort and I am very proud of how it turned out. I spent April through August of 2014 hiking, GPSing and photographing the trails in Napa and Sonoma Counties. Having grown up outside of Santa Rosa, this was one of the places where I first learned to love life on the trail and appreciate nature in its many different manifestations. The book is a love letter to my hometown.

The book covers 67 hikes in Napa and Sonoma Counties. The area is surprisingly diverse, and it includes high mountaintop trails, paths along large rivers, through vineyard covered hills, rugged coastlines, serpentine deserts and beneath towering old growth redwoods. It is no secret to people familiar with the region, but for those who may not have spent much time in the Wine Country, it may come as a surprise what an excellent hiking destination it is. Though it covers many of the highlights, the book covers only a portion of the possibilities.

For those interested, the book is available at Amazon. If you live in the area, many bookstores are already carrying the book including Copperfields and Barnes & Noble. REI has not stocked it yet but it will be percolating through their system and arriving there soon. As an aside, REI is now carrying my other guide, “Hiking California’s Mount Shasta Region“. I also have copies of both books for sale, if you are in the area and want to pick one up.

If you have not spent much time in the Wine Country, I would strongly encourage you to visit. It is a wonderfully beautiful area, with a surprising amount of history and boat loads of cultural attractions including the obvious wineries. Another great feature is the region’s climate. It can be hiked and enjoyed all year. I am including a small gallery of images that appeared in the book to give you a sense of what the area looks like. I hope everyone has a great time on the trail with this guide!

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